Mold for concrete floor and roof work.



R. B. HARTMAN.

MOLD FOR CONCRETE FLOOR AND ROOF WORK. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 190B.

Patented Apr. 25,1916.

witncooaa THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 50., WASHINGTON, D- c.

RUDOLPH B. HARIMAN, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

MOLD FOB conoranrn moon Ann noor weak.

s eci cation of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 25, 1916- Application filed March 21, 1908. SerialNo. 422,537.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH B. HART- MAN, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, have invented a Mold for Concrete Floor and Roof Work, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to monolithic structural concrete, and has for its object, generally speaking, to facilitate, expedite, and generally improve the method and manner in which such work is erected, and my present invention is more particularly applicable to the construction of the floors and roofs of buildings, taken in connection with the columns and beams which support them.

More explicitly stated, my invention relates to certain novel constructions of falsework used in setting up the floors, beams and columns, and to the method and manner of its erection and removal.

The construction of the falsework or wooden molds for the floors and roofs of concrete buildings, is, as well known to those skilled in the art, important and the most expensive part of concrete construction. At the present time it is customary to erect these in wood, the planks constituting the mold being cut to size and put in place piece by piece. This results in a great waste of material, demands the employment of skilled operators, and is more or less dangerous owing to the fact that in erecting the forms and until they are com pleted it is necessary for the operators to support themselves and walk around on ledgesand in dangerous positions. Now according to my method these difiiculties are largely or wholly dispensed with.

Briefly stated, the method consists in constructing panel-molds, each covering one panel of the floor, (that is so much of a floor as is included between three or more intersecting beams), including the sides of the beams, and subsequently hoisting them into place.

The invention further consists in an improved system of supports for the beamhottoms and panel-molds, enabling the panel-molds, including the; side-facing boards of the beams, to be removed quickly from the work after the concrete has been poured and has sufficiently set, without disturbing the supports for the beam bottoms, which require to be left to set a longer time before they are removed.

.The invention .furtherconsists in a sec tional adjustable mold constructed jointly of wood and sheet-metal, which can be adusted to fit any floor-panel.

The invention further consists in special means by which I am enabled to remove quickly and readily, and without endangering, chipping or otherwise injuring the concrete, the forms from the latter after it has set.

My improved sectional mold carried out in its details is utilizable not only for plain concrete and, reinforced concrete construction but also for what is known as the composite or incased construction, which as commonly carried out consists of a steel skeleton frame embodied in concrete which is cast around it after the frame is put up and forms the floors of the building. Moreover for those features of the composite construction which involve making the subsidiary beams of reinforced concrete in stead of steel, my mold is highly adaptable and can be used with great economy.

My invention further consists in the constructions, combinations, processes and other features which will be hereinafter described and more particularly set forth in the claims.

All these features of my invention are here fully describedand claimed, reference being had to the following description thereof and to the annexed drawing,

whereinp Figure 1 is a plan view of the falsework of afloor under construction, showing four panels in various stages of completion, Fig. 2 is a vertical section therethrough on the line 2 of 1, illustrating two methods of supporting the beam-bottoms and floorforms from the column-forms.

I In Fig. 1 T have shown, by way of example, a common floor-construction, in which the position of the columns is designated 81., that of the main beams 32, and that of the subsidiary beams 33. The main beams are those radiating from the columns, and are generally deeper than the subsidiary beams, which in turn spring from the main beams. That part of the floor shown in the figure includes four complete panels 34, 35, 36 and 37, of which the first two show the main frame of the panel form as nailed together on the floor below and hoisted into position;

the third, the same with added platform of loose boards; andthe fourth, the completed form ready for pouring. Nearly every floor.

subsidiary beams,

v panel in an ordinary building has a column at one corner; and in the present figure the columns are shown assquare, the column forms being of planks cut off fiush w th the bottom planks of the beam forms, which rest Y jcleat .42. -Th ese four pieces are attached to- .1 line of the frame so end thereof by getherend' toend by nails driven into adj oiningends as shown. lso .the planks 38 and 39 areshorter than the sides of the panel require and arevpieced to the proper length by short pieces 43 and 44 attached to the cleats 45 and, 46. The two pieces 43 and 44 are then united by two short. pieces 47 and 48-forming a reentrant angle corresponding with and forming an extension of the column form .49. The outformed is now secured to a diagonal plank 50 of the same depth as the planks ,38 and ,39, to which the ends are secured by nails as shown. Two further diagonals 51, 52, preferably of the same depth as thenarrower planks 40 and 41, are

secured respectivelyto the planks 39 and 40 near their ends and to vopposite sides of the diagonal 50 at apoint about one fourth the distance from one .endas shown; and lastly two further planks 53 and54-of about the same size, are secured atone end toopposite sides of the plank 50 at a point about one fourth its length from the opposite end of the plank 50 from that to whichthe planks 51, 52 are secured,v and said planks 5'3 and 54 are nailed at the other endto the planks 51 and 52 nearthe ends vofthese latter. Ordinarily it would be more convenient to secure the endsofthe planks 51and'53, and likewise of the planks ,52 .and 54,.together before nailing them in the frame; or instead of this construction, the ends .of the planks 5.1 and53 may be secured separately to the plank 39 and those oftheplanks 52 and 54 separately to the plank40, The frame so formed has the upper edges of a'llthebo-ards on "the sameleVQl except the strips 47 and 48 which extendabove theothers an amount equal to the thickness ofa plank, Around the edges of the frame and flush therewith are now secured four planks 55, 56, 57 and 58. 'The ends of the planks and 58, or at least one oftheseplanks, are cut ofl short of the end of the frame next the column, to avoid unnecessary fitting and waste of lumher, To bring the edges of the planks 38 ancl39, atthe ends adjacent to the column flush with the surface of boards 55 and58, two small strips'59 are added. The frame so fermedea he mplet dflo r b l w that or wh ch i is. l-e ne ;1, is. ne oisted up it, two small strips through the opening between the beams (being turned edgewise for this purpose) and lowered into place. To form a support for 60 are placed crosswise on the upper end of the post 61 at the junction of the beams; and at the column corners various modes may be adopted, as for example cross-blocks 62 may be nailed to the column-forms below the beam-bottoms 63; or bracket-pieces 64 may be employed (see at right of 'Fig. 2) resting against cleats 65 and 66-secured to the column-form and beam-bottom respectively.

The edges of the planks 55, 56, 57 and 58 will ordinarily overlap the upper edges of'the edgewise planks 38, 39, 40 and 41, thus securing greater rigidity and preventing aforesaid planks from sagging under weight; but this is not essential, as said planks may also be set so that their corners touch as shown in Fig. 2 (on the left hand of the center-beam) in which case the gnomon may be filled out with a square strip 67 or if a beveled angle is wished, with a triangular strip 68 (see right-hand side of center-beam in Fig. 2). The panel-mold is now completed by a series of loose planks 69, of the same thickness as the planks '55, 56, 57 and 58, which are laid so as to approximately fill the open space in the center, but need not be and preferably are not laid close together, in order to economize material. These planks may, to prevent tipping endwise if a workman should step on their ends, be tacked lightly to the underlying supports, the planks '50 to 54. It will be noted that the arrangement of the diagonals is such that every plank is supported at three points of its length and undue sagging prevented. The whole panel is now covered with strips of thin sheet metal 70 (see panel 37) which are laid so as to cover all the open cracks and slightly overlap each other. The irregular opening at the column corner, if found necessary, may be covered by a piece of sheet metal 71 from which one corner is cut. The panel molds being thus completed the concrete is poured thereon, audit will be understood that the sheets 70 are thin enough to bend readily and sufficiently seal any cracks between them to prevent undue leakage therethro-ugh, while at the same time they are suificiently rigid to bridge over the open spaces between the underlying boards.

here the corner-columns are formed with metal molds, the use of the block 62 or the bracket 64 is not practicable because of the difficulty of securing them to the metal readily, and in this case auxiliary posts may be used to support the ends of the beam-bottoms and molds.

In removing the forms for the partial setting of the concrete, it is to be understood that the floor-forms are removed first, in order to enable them to be used over again for the next floor, before the concrete has sufhciently set to allow of the removal of the beam bottoms 63 and and their supports. For this purpose the construction of the cross-pieces 60 at the junction-points is very convenient. These pieces and the beam-bottoms 63 are fixed in a pivotal manner to the post 61 by a single spike 73 driven vertically in the center. The sides of the beams 32 immediately under the beams 33 and. between the ends of the boards 39 are formed by short pieces 74; which rest upon the uppermost of the planks 60 and form supports for the beam-bottoms 75; the lower.- most of the planks 60 is brought to a level with the other by any small strip or block (not shown in the drawings) forming a level surface and the planks 60 therefore support the overlying ends of the side-planks of the panel-form and also the end of the main diagonal 50, which supports the principal part of the overlying weight. It will be seen therefore that the weight upon the diagonal does not rest upon the nails in its ends but directly upon the supporting post 61. Now when the panel-forms have to be removed, the planks 60, which are no wider than the beam-bottoms, are simply rotated around the spike 7 3 as a center until they are directly below said beam-bottoms, whereupon the panel-molds are free and unsupported. These molds adhere to the concrete with very considerable force, and with methods in common use it requires much labor and considerable splintering of boards to detach them. lNhere, as is commonly the case, both ends of a plank are gripped between two beams, the contraction of the concrete in setting often causes the plank to be gripped very tightly. It will be observed however that in my form where both ends of a single plank are gripped between beams the plank is divided intermediately. In removing the mold, I first knock ofi the planks 58 and 54, then the planks 51 and 52, and

then the plank 50, all of which can readily be done as their ends are not gripped or compressed. The loose planks 69 will of course come away of their own account when their support is thus removed. Taking then the side-planks in order, I start with the plank 10, both of whose ends are free, and knocking off first the cleat 42 I then pry up the abutting ends of the two halves of the plank in the center, whereupon the plank is readily removed. Next I remove the plank ll in the same manner, then similarly the planks 38 and 39, the ends of which are successively freed, and the small blocks 47 and 48 being knocked away first. While it does not make any special difference which f two adjoining planks overlies the end of the other, it will be noted that there is always one, neither end of which is overlain (in this case the plank 40) and therefore always one which can be removed without interference from the others. The top boards 55, 56, 57 and 58, are now free from the side planks, and they do not much adhere to the concrete because mostly overlapped by the metal strips 70, hence are detached with very little trouble; and lastly, the metal strips '70 are removed by starting at each free edge which is overlapped by the edge of the adjacent strip. These strips being oiled on their surfaces (they may also be galvanized), do not adhere strongly to the concrete.

While I have described in detail the particular construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings for the purpose of disclosing an embodiment of my invention, it will be evident to engineers that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of my claims and without in any manner departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for molding concrete floor and roofwork, comprising a frame work having the outline of a floor-panel and having vertical sides for the beam pieces and marginal horizontal upper planks inclosing an upper space, transverse supports extending diago- Q nally across said open space, loose filling pieces within said open space and resting upon said supports, the fillin -pieces being flush with the marginal planks, and aplura-lity of flexible strips of sheet metal overlying substantially the entire horizontal sur faceand having overlapping edges to thereby form a sealed protective covering over said filling-pieces when the concrete is poured thereon.

2. A panel-mold for concrete floor and roof-work comprising a frame having the outlines of a floor-panel composed of edgewise-boards secured together end to end, a

main diagonal edgewise-board secured to 1 1 said frame adjacent diagonally opposite corners thereof, and subsidiary diagonals see cured to 1ntermed1ate points of the main d1- agonal and adjacent to other corners of the frame.

3. A panel-mold for concrete floor and roof-work comprising a frame having the outlines of a floor-panel composed of edgewise-boards secured together end to end, a main diagonal edgewise-board secured to said frame adjacent diagonally opposite corners thereof, subsidiary diagonals secured to intermediate points of the main diagonal and adjacent to other corners of the frame; and a plurality of loose horizontal filling boards resting on said diagonals and forming a platform closing the opening of the mold.

4;. A panel-mold for concrete floor androof-work comprising a frame having the outlines of a floor-panel composed ofedgewise-boards secured together end to end, a

7 main diagonal edgewise-board secured to said frame adjacent diagonally opposite corn'ers thereof, subsidiary diagonals secured to intermediate "points of the main diagonal a and closing the and adjacent to other corners of the frame, marginal horizontal boards. Secured around the edges of the frame,-and a plurality of loose filling-'boards'resting solelyon said diagonals and Within said marginal boards opening of the mold.

"-5. A panel-mold for concrete floor and roof-work comprising a frame having the outlines of a floor-panel composed of edgewise boards secured together en'd' to end, a main diagonal edgewise board "secured to the two adjacent planks of the frame adjacent their opposite ends, sub'sidia'ry diagonals secured to intermediate points of the main I diagonal and to other corners of the frame,

' on said filling boards said four-sided frame to horizontal" boards secured to the top edges of said first named boards and forming a margin around the edges of the frame, a

plurality of loosefilling-planks resting on said diagonals and Within said marginal boards and I loose sheet-metal pieces resting ing over said planks;

6. A substantially four-sided panel mold for concrete floor and roof-Work comprising four, edgewise-boards united together end to end, a main diagonal board extendin between points adjacenttwo opposite corners, four subsidiary diagonals extending in pairs from points adjacent opposite corners of points on opposite sides of the middle of said main diagonal and se'cured to the latter, and a platform of horizontal boards supported by said main and subsidiary diagonals.

7. A substantially four-sided panel-mold forconcrete floor and roof-work comprising four vedgewise-boards united together end to'end, a 'main'dia gonal'board extending between points adjacent two opposite corners,

four subsidiary diagonals extending in pairs from opp'osite corners of said four-sided frame to points on opposite sides of the middle of said main diagonaland secured to the "latter, four marginalboards secured around the sides of the frame, and a plurality of loose filling-boards resting on said diagonals within the space surrounded by said marginal boards and filling the opening between said marginal boards.

8. A panel-mold for concrete fioor and roof-work adapted to fit in a panel "at one ing a reentrant corner; and brace members corner of which is a column, comprising a frameof edgewise boards secured together end to end having the outline of the panel, except that at the column corner the two boards are secured to two small pieces formand forming a 'coverv secured to said frame adjacent said reentrant corner and extending to the diagonally opposite corner.

9. A panel-mold for concrete floor and roo -w0rk adapted to fit in a panel at one corner of which is a column, comprising a frame of edgewise boards secured together end to end havingthe outline of the panel, except that at the column corner the two boards are secured to two small ing a reentrant corner; each of said boards adjacent to'the column corner being compounded of two members namely a long member having nearly the full length and a shorter member which may have different lengths according to the size of the particular panel in which it may be, whereby the elements of said frame may be used repeatedly for different sized panels, and brace members secured to said shorter member adjacent said reentrant corner and extending to the diagonally opposite corner.

10. Supporting-means for intersecting beam-forms of concrete floor and roof-work comprising a pillar or post, and two planks placed crosswise on top thereof, and having a width not greater than said beam-forms said beam-bottoms being supported on said crosswise pieces, which latter are placed at oblique angles thereto.

11. In concrete floor and roof-work, means for supporting the beams and panelforms at the junction of two intersecting beams comprising a pillar or post underneath said junction, a pair of planks laid crosswise on top of said posts and having a width not greater than said intersecting beams and set at oblique angles to said beams whereby they project diagonally across the corners, beam-bottoms resting on said crosswise pieces, a pivot-pin extending vertically from the center of said crosspieces into the end of said post; and panelmolds whose corners rest upon the ends of said crosswise-pieces; whereby said crosspieces may be rotated to register with said beam-bottoms, thus withdrawing the support from said panel-molds.

12. The unit system of floor-forms which comprlses in combination with the beambottoms dividing the floor into panels, individual frames each fitting a panel and each comprising an outline-frame of angular cross-section, the vertical face of the angle constituting the side of the beam-form and the horizontal face the marginal portion of the floor-form; 'transversal members crossing diagonally beneath the open space of the frame and acting as braces and also as supports for the center-filling; a number of loose boards laid on said supports and filling the central opening of said frame within the marginal portion and substantially flush therewith, and sheet-metal pieces formpieces resting loosely upon and protecting said filling and having overlapping edges to thereby form a seal to retain the concrete.

13. As an article of manufacture, a panelmold for concrete floor and roof-work comprising a rectangular frame open in the center and each side of which has an L- shaped cross-section, one leg of which lies against the side of the beam and forms a part of the mold therefor and the other is horizontal and forms the marginal portion of the supporting surface or mold for the floor; and a diagonal bracing extending from adjacent one corner to adjacent the diagonally opposite corner of said frame.

14. As an article of manufacture, a panelmold for concrete floor and roof-work comprising a rectangular frame open in the center and each side of which has an l. shaped cross-section, one leg of which lies against the side of the beam and forms a part of the mold therefor and the other is horizontal and forms the marginal portion of the supporting surface or mold for copies of this patent may be the floor; and a diagonal bracing extending from corner to corner across said frame, said diagonal comprising one edgewise-set plank extending diagonally between opposite corners, being shorter than the distance therebetween so as to abut upon and being secured to the sides of the frame at a short distance from said corners, and four boards forming together a diagonal brace between the two other opposite corners, said four boards being disposed in two pairs, each pair being disposed in a V-shaped figure secured at their apex to the sides of the frame at or near the corners thereof, and at the open ends of the V to the sides of the first-named diagonal board.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this seventeenth day of March, 1908.

RUDOLPH B. HARTMAN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE W. CoLLEs, MINNIE D. SCHIENBEIN.

obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

